Queen of the Desert

"One woman can change the course of history"

2015 2h 8m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 313

DramaAdventureHistory

Synopsis

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A chronicle of Gertrude Bell's life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire in the Near and Middle East at the dawn of the twentieth century. Her knowledge of the tribal leaders is used by the British to establish the Kingdoms of Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

“One woman can change the course of history”

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Cast

Nicole Kidman
Gertrude Bell
James Franco
Henry Cadogan
Robert Pattinson
T.E. Lawrence
Damian Lewis
Richard Wylie
Jay Abdo
Fattuh
Jenny Agutter
Florance Bell
David Calder
Hugh Bell
Christopher Fulford
Winston Churchill

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Werner Herzog
Writers: Werner Herzog
Languages: English, Arabic, French, Turkish
Countries: Morocco, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 11% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Arabic, French, Turkish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Morocco, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Werner Herzog, shot by Peter Zeitlinger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Klaus Badelt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joe Bini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nicole Kidman and James Franco and Robert Pattinson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Werner Herzog directs. Peter Zeitlinger behind the camera. Klaus Badelt scores. Joe Bini cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Morocco, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Arabic, French, Turkish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 11% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 11 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Arabic, French, Turkish.
4International production across 2 countries: Morocco, United States of America.
5Directed by Werner Herzog, shot by Peter Zeitlinger. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Klaus Badelt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Joe Bini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Nicole Kidman and James Franco and Robert Pattinson carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "One woman can change the course of history".
10IMDB entry: tt1837636 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 18 themes, including "middle east", "persia", "unrequited love", "travel writer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Zeitlinger
Original score: Klaus Badelt
Editing: Joe Bini
Production design: Ulrich Bergfelder
Costume design: Michele Clapton
Makeup / hair: Kathryn Fa
VFX supervisor: Kaspar Kallas
Sound: Laurent Kossayan
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $1,592,853
Return: 11% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Queen of the Desert (2015)

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Werner Herzog

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2016-09-01
★ 5/10
The woman who knew every inch of the middle-east! It is a kind of female version of 'Lawrence of Arabia', the lead actress herself told that. A biographical drama of a British woman who had played an important role in many middle-eastern affairs during the early 1900s. After the tragic death of the man she was madly in love, the young Gertrude Bell decides to travel across the middle-east to write about it and to do some archaeological research and other stuffs. After the decades of travel on all the corners of the region, what she achieved was the film disclosed in an inspiring way. I love this director's films and filmmaking style. It is his first time since last 6 years, but not good as I expected. It is a bit of both, documentary and feature film. Awesomely shot, I loved the camera work and actors too did so well. Nicole Kidman was brilliant, might be her best for portraying in a real life character. Yet something was missing from the film. Maybe the film came at the wrong time, should have been made at least 15 years ago. Otherwise, it is an Oscar worthy product. This film is worth watching for the beautiful desert landscapes and obviously for Kidman. The issue with the story is the focus which completely relied on Kidman's role. She was everywhere and leaving blank on the other end. Something like showing what she accomplished was the notion, so in perspective, it could have made a better documentary film. Some people might like it, especially if you're from the middle-east. But don't expect I would recommend it, because I won't. Whatever I said the film was not bad, just a 50-50 kind. 5/10
CinemaSerf2024-07-07
★ 6/10
Despite assembling a decent enough cast, this biopic of the formidable desert adventurer Gertrude Bell is really little better than a fine example of the arts of cinematography in sandy and windy climes. She (Nicole Kidman) is in Arabia as the Ottoman Empire continues to decline and the European powers pick over it's bones. Her arrival in British Egypt introduces her to her first love "Cadogan" (James Franco) - the third secretary at the British mission but that romance, like her entire life on the nearby peninsula, takes twists and turns before she meets soldier "Wylie" (Damian Lewis). All of this is happening against a backdrop of colonial expansion and her own desires to explore the place and make friends - especially difficult amidst a culture that had a very specific role for women. Gradually, though, she becomes respected and even a facilitator for the British running the British Arab Bureau that was instrumental in supporting the efforts of T.E. Lawrence (Robert Pattinson). It makes a bit more sense if you know some of the history, but otherwise this is a ponderously weak drama that spends way too long on, admittedly beautiful, establishing shots and nowhere near enough time developing the character of this courageous and intelligent woman. Kidman never catches fire in the role, her accent is certainly not British and she (and director Werner Herzog) struggle to get much out of the co-stars who look like they are just going through the motions. You do leave the film with a respect for the decency of the Bedouin aspiring just to be left alone to govern themselves, but the production itself is very much a case of style over substance.